Streaking Madone faces sharp challengers in Autumn Miss

ARCADIA, Calif. – Given that Madone is undefeated racing a mile on turf in California, it might seem futile to wager against her Saturday in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

After all, Madone is 5 for 5 at the distance in California, including four stakes wins. But things get tougher Saturday when she puts her regional win streak on the line against two sharp up-and-comers.

Lightly raced, locally based Zero Tolerance stretches out following a better-than-looked stakes win on the Santa Anita hill. East Coast multiple stakes winner Spanish Loveaffair ships in off a smashing victory in a highly rated turf-mile stakes at Belmont Park.

For both Zero Tolerance and Spanish Loveaffair, the $100,000 Autumn Miss is a new game. Zero Tolerance has never raced two turns; Spanish Loveaffair has never raced on the West Coast. The blips are minor.

Peter Miller trains Zero Tolerance, who won a maiden race second out, then overcame a tough trip to win a downhill stakes in just her third start. Can she stretch to a mile?

“Six and a half a lot of times translates to the mile,” Miller said. “Until they do it, you never know. But she almost ran a mile last time.”

The joke is close to truth. Zero Tolerance broke slowly, was floated extremely wide at the dirt crossing and into the lane, rallied outside, and won by a length. The tough-trip win suggests a mile is within reach for Zero Tolerance, whose pedigree supports the trip. She is by Mizzen Mast, and a sibling to Grade 1 Woodbine Mile winner El Tormenta.

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Mark Casse trains Spanish Loveaffair, fresh off a visually impressive 91-Beyer score in the $150,000 Pebbles Stakes at Belmont. Her price was 30-1, but the win was not a fluke.

“She’s always had it in her,” Casse said, citing course condition for her prior form. “Her previous starts, the turf had some give to it, and I just don’t think she cares for that.”

Spanish Loveaffair, however, is a tiger on “firm.” Four starts on firm courses produced three wins (including a disqualification) and one second. Spanish Loveaffair, a sibling to Grade 1 American Oaks winner Spanish Bunny, will get firm ground on Saturday.

“I figured we’d be pretty sure to get a hard turf in California, that’s one of the reasons we came out,” Casse said. He won the Autumn Miss in 2014 with a shipper, and though Spanish Loveaffair is less accomplished at this stage than Queen’s Plate-Autumn Miss winner Lexie Lou, Casse suggested Spanish Loveaffair is close in ability.

“She’s pretty good, and I think she’s going to get better,” he said. “The key is firm ground.”

Spanish Loveaffair, 3 for 10, will be ridden by Abel Cedillo. Flavien Prat rides Zero Tolerance, Juan Hernandez rides Madone for trainer Simon Callaghan.

Eddie’s New Dream, Freedom Flyer, Burgoo Alley, Javanica, and Ego Trip also entered.